


Out With It

by plumeria47



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: HP: Epilogue Compliant, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-25
Updated: 2017-01-25
Packaged: 2018-09-19 22:06:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9462134
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/plumeria47/pseuds/plumeria47
Summary: Hermione forces the boys to come clean about their feelings.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Originally written Nov 2011.

Without another word, Hermione marched over to the kitchen table - what had once been her kitchen table - pulled out two chairs and pointed imperiously. "Sit," she commanded.

Silently, nervously, Harry and Ron sat.

Hermione eyed them both for a moment or two, while they looked at their hands, the table, the walls and her - anywhere but at each other. Making her decision, she turned to the man on her right. "It's time, Harry. Talk."

Harry felt his heart plummet. Why was she making him do this? This one thing that could be the end of their decades-long friendship, the one thing he'd always been able to count on, in good times and in bad. No - too much like wedding vows, he chastised himself. Well, anyway - he needed to be friends with them both, but if this went badly - which it could so easily do - then what? He'd be divorced AND alone. Right now he was only divorced, a situation that made him feel sad in the sense of letting down Ginny and the children, but not bereft.

Harry bowed his head, trying to dig up his Gryffindor courage. It still had to be in there somewhere, didn't it? He opened his mouth, then closed it again, unwilling to take that fatal first step; finally, knowing Hermione wouldn't let him off the hook, he took a deep breath.

"It was the way you wanted to be my friend, that first day on the train," he began, forcing himself to look Ron straight in the eye. "You knew who I was, but I could tell you didn't really care. You wanted to be MY friend. And I'd never had a friend before. Ever." He saw Ron's eyes widen as the realization hit him; something he'd probably always known deep in his heart but hadn't ever put words to before.

"It was the way you sacrificed yourself so I could get the Stone. And the way you brought me into your home when I was imprisoned in mine, sharing the one thing I could never have had or bought on my own - the security and love and generosity of your family." He found his chest loosening a little as he talked; this was getting easier now that he'd taken that first no-going-back step. "It was how we shared a flying car all afternoon, and the way you risked your life to help get Ginny back, showing the depth of your devotion and love when it really mattered.

"And then there was the way we'd spend hours by the fire, faking our Divination homework together, laughing over our ridiculous answers," Harry went on, feeling somewhat ridiculous, himself, over how much he was talking. But the dam had burst, so he might as well keep going. "And," he added, swallowing a little, "the way you came back to me during the Triwizard Tournament, and we went on as if nothing had ever happened, that nothing could shake us up ever again.

"I was so jealous of you, you know, when you were named Prefect and I wasn't."

Ron looked startled. "Hey, mate, even then I was pretty sure Dumbledore had made a mista-"

Harry held up his hand. "He didn't, Ron. You needed to be Prefect. And I needed to learn a lesson, to see what you had been living with all your life." He smiled. "Besides, we weathered that, too. Even being Captain and Keeper on the Quidditch team the following year. We survived camping around Britain for an eternity, and having our brains twisted by the locket. We survived _Voldemort_ for fuck's sake." He gave a small snort of amusement as Ron flinched out of habit. "Ron, I wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for you."

Harry glanced at Hermione and took another deep breath as she nodded at him. "But it's more than that, Ron. Way more. I mean, Hermione's been there for almost all of that crap, too, and I owe my life to her just as much. But ... but she's ... not the person I fell in love with." He closed his eyes, unable to bear seeing Ron flinch again or, worse, see his revulsion. Silence fell, and Harry fought back the urge to either get up and run away, or to cry. Moments later, however, he felt a warm hand curl over his own clenched fingers, where they rested on the table. A large warm hand - too large to be Hermione's. Harry opened his eyes only to see Ron's bright blue ones gazing earnestly back at him.

"D'you mean that, Harry?" Ron's voice cracked a little, as if he'd forgotten how to make it obey. "All of it?"

He nodded, biting his lip a little. "I do."

Hermione's laughter shattered their tension. "Harry, you prat. You're not getting married here - just a simple 'yes' or 'no' or even an 'I love you madly' will be fine."

"Hey," Harry retorted, attempting to swat her with his elbow; he was loathe to pull his hands free from Ron's, lest he not get them back again. "You're the one who's making us have this conversation, so I believe we get to use whatever awkward words we manage to come up with. But," he added, turning to face Ron again, "she's right, you know. Just like always." Harry shifted his hands so that his and Ron's were more equally curled around each other. "I love you."

Ron gulped. "I had no idea, Harry." He saw Harry's face fall and felt his hands start to pull away. "No, wait!" he added hastily, grabbing back the smaller hands before they could escape along with their owner. "I didn't mean it like that. Blimey." Ron looked up accusingly at his ex-wife, still standing watchfully over them. "Hermione, you know I'm no good with this stuff. You of all people should know."

Hermione just nodded toward Harry with her chin. "Go on," she murmured, a gentle smile curving her lips.

"Harry-" Ron tried again, blowing out a long breath and wishing desperately he could indulge in his usual nervous habit - raking his hair out of his face - without letting go of Harry's hands. Somehow that had become very important, not to let go. "Harry, what our favourite Know-It-All here is trying to say is that she knows I've been in love with you for ages. I ... I just didn't think it would come to anything and I didn't want to lose your friendship, so I kept quiet." He shrugged. "You know me - never one to rock the boat."

"I know," Harry whispered softly. He gently worked one hand loose and brushed his fingers along the side of Ron's jaw. Ron shivered at the sudden contact, his heart nearly leaping out of his chest. "And you know me - my life just goes to pieces without you."

"Does it?"

"Yeah, it does."

The two men held each other's gazes for what felt like an eternity - or perhaps mere moments. For his part, Harry felt as if he was seeing Ron's familiar face for the first time - again. All the little freckles, the way the shades of blue shifted in his eyes depending on the light, the curve of his mouth, the long, thin nose, all those things suddenly held so much hope and promise, so much love that he had never expected - or even dared hope - to see.

"Would you snog each other already? Or shall I leave and let you simply strip each other naked here and now?"

"Hermione!" Ron replied in horror. "You're not supposed to say things like that!"

She shrugged, supremely unconcerned. "I'm not supposed to do a lot of things. You two," she added with a grin, "are the ones who taught me the value of bending convention sometimes."

"Great," said Harry, rolling his eyes. "We've created a monster."

"Still," Ron continued, "maybe she has a point."

"Oh?"

Ron turned back to Hermione. "I think we can take it from here."

Hermione's grin widened. "Oh, you can, can you?"

"Yes." The two men spoke in near-unison, prompting a brief bout of giggles from all three of them. "In all seriousness," continued Harry, once the laughter had died down, "thank you for knocking our heads together and making us see what had been in front of our noses all along." He smiled at Ron, feeling his heart swell with hope at what he saw there.

Hermione snorted. "Men!" But she was already pulling on her cloak and heading for the fireplace. "Head-knocking is what friends are for," she said over her shoulder, reaching for the pot of Floo powder.

But Harry and Ron were already too busy kissing to reply.

**Author's Note:**

> And while the boys are busy kissing, would you take a moment to leave a comment? Thank you - and thank you for reading!


End file.
